The last twelve months (and even before) have been a roller coaster in Calgary. The team has seen immense turnover on the ice and on the bench, and beyond all else, this is a team that could really use some stability and direction.
As the holidays are upon us and it’s Christmas, here is what each Calgary Flames player should wake up to open under the tree as Santa Conroy makes his way through his list.
Jonathan Huberdeau
This has been a resurgent season for Huberdeau, who leads the team in points and 5v5 points on the year. While he is unlikely to be worth what his contract pays him each year without this in his stocking, if Santa gave him a time machine that took him back to his 2021–22 form, that would be the best thing for him and this franchise.
Nazem Kadri
This is a hard one. Kadri has been outstanding for the Flames this year, sitting second on the team in points and tied for the team lead in goals. He has the most high-danger chances on the team and massively leads the team in shots on goal.
However, his contract is a boat anchor for this team through the rebuild and he now has more value than his contract shows, and could be a trade target for so many teams. Both the Flames and Kadri need him to go to a contender and be that star on a winning team. A new team’s jersey with his name should be under the tree for him this year.
Martin Pospisil
This hasn’t been nearly as good of a season for Martin Pospisil. Despite playing on the team’s top line with Huberdeau and Kadri, he hasn’t put up points the same way he did last season. He also isn’t shooting as much nor is he being as much of a pest as he was last year. This holiday season, Pospisil needs to find his swagger again. It should be sitting there under the tree for him.
Blake Coleman
The Texas Tiger has been steady all year long and mostly flown under the radar but leads the team in high-danger chances with 35 at 5v5. Despite this, he has just five goals. What Blake Coleman needs more than anything is some puck luck. With a bit of luck, hopefully, that’s sitting under the tree for him.
Mikael Backlund
Every year Mikael Backlund shows up to Calgary as one of the fittest players at training camp and then goes on a run as one of the best two-way players in the league, and this year has been no different. While he may have gotten this from Mark Giordano when he inherited the captaincy, Backlund needs the spring of eternal youth to keep performing at this level.
Matt Coronato
Matt Coronato went from being an irregular player for the Flames in the lineup to finding a comfortable role in the former Tkachuk spot on the line with Coleman and Backlund. However, after what happened with the former American right winger, the Flames will want to ensure the same doesn’t happen to Coronato. Hopefully, a deep love of all things Calgary and a new contract are under the tree for him this year.
Yegor Sharangovich
It hasn’t been an easy season for the Lego Master. Yegor Sharangovich has not lived up to his contract this year and is going to be very hard to move if the Flames even try to go down that road. What the Belarusian needs this year under the tree is to get his scoring touch back.
Connor Zary
It’s hard to ask for more from Connor Zary this year. He is developing into a very good centre for this team, putting points on the board, and really finding his groove at this level. He could use a little more luck, but consistency and remaining uninjured this year is really all that he could ask for this year.
Jakob Pelletier
If there is one thing that Jakob Pelletier deserves under the tree it’s a consistent look at this level. His ice time through the eight games he has played this year has been all over the place, starting under ten minutes a night then bumping up to a high of 16 against the Ottawa Senators then back down to ten in the game against the Chicago Blackhawks. While he finally has decent linemates, the 2019 first-round pick needs a run at this level to see what he really is.
Ryan Lomberg
The Flames brought Ryan Lomberg in to be an energy and glue guy this year and he has absolutely done that. He chose to play here and the Flames clearly respect that. The challenge is that the production just hasn’t been there and he is occupying a spot on the fourth line that the Flames could desperately use for one of their younger players. For Lomberg, despite being a riot off the ice, there should be a bucket of Saddledome popcorn under the tree for him.
Kevin Rooney
The Flames are short on centres in the organization, so having Rooney playing as the fourth line centre this year isn’t bad at all. What Rooney should probably ask for is younger linemates that he can mentor. The 31-year-old has been around the league a long time and has a lot to pass along, and playing him with the likes of William Stromgren, Adam Klapka, Samuel Honzek, and more would be invaluable for their development.
Walker Duehr
This has been a pretty forgettable NHL look for Walker Duehr, who was given every opportunity to succeed but just hasn’t looked good at all. It’s probably time for him to go back down to the AHL and stay there for a while. What he needs under the tree is a reset button to get his feet back under him and come back up to the NHL and succeed.
Andrei Kuzmenko
There is so much promise in Kuzmenko, but he just hasn’t worked out in Calgary this season. The 28-year-old is due for a new contract after this year, and with him not even being in the lineup right now doesn’t bode well for his future. The challenge is that he has no value if he’s not playing and is unlikely to even earn a new contract in the league next year. What he needs right now is to fight his way back into a middle-six role so that when the Flames invariably do not sign him this summer, he can earn a contract elsewhere.
Kevin Bahl
The Flames have found an absolute gem in Kevin Bahl. The enormous blueliner has played the second-most minutes of any player on average this season and has been quietly extremely effective in his role. Now in the final year of his contract, the Flames should be looking to lock him up long-term and hopefully, a new contract is right under his tree.
Rasmus Andersson
This has been an incredible season for Rasmus Andersson, who has scored a number of huge goals for the team. What he really needs this season is more opposing fans sitting in the front row that he can stare down when he scores.
Joel Hanley
The Flames have been rolling eight defencemen this season in the NHL, and with eight more in the AHL, there is a block in the pipeline to bringing the team’s prospects up. Hanley has been playing intermittently this season but has been far from excellent. He seems like a good guy who deserves nice things, so hopefully, a waiver claim for a bigger NHL role is under his tree. Better that than a job in the AHL.
MacKenzie Weegar
Weegar has been outstanding this year for the Flames, and honestly were it not for him, the Matthew Tkachuk trade would have been an enormous loss for this team. However, the one thing Weegar has lacked this season has been a consistent partner, having split time with basically every defenceman on the team. He has looked fine with Hanley, but a defenceman of his calibre deserves a consistent partner and ideally one better than Hanley.
Jake Bean
Jake Bean has been fine in his time in Calgary, playing in 21 games with fine results. He is a serviceable seventh defenceman for the team, but given his contract value of a whopping $1.75 million for this season and next, it’s a lot of money to be paying to play on an as-needed basis. With that contract and his production, Bean can buy himself something for Christmas.
Brayden Pachal
Christmas came early for the Saskatchewan product as Pachal signed a new contract earlier this month, which was very well deserved. The former captain of the Prince Albert Raiders deserves to treat himself with his newly minted contract and hopefully buys himself something nice for Christmas.
Daniil Miromanov
This hasn’t been a great year for the young defenceman as Daniil Miromanov has been in and out of the lineup. He’s a better defenceman than his record has shown and what he really needs is to regain his form. A consistent partner on the blueline should be right under his tree.
Dustin Wolf
Wolf has been outstanding this season and deserves all the nice things this Christmas. We could wish for him to have more starts, more wins on the road, or simply a continued streak of wins, but the one thing he deserves most of all is more respect league-wide in the Calder conversation. He has been one of the most outstanding rookies this season and very much deserves to be a finalist for the trophy this year.
Dan Vladar
The writing is on the wall for Vladar in Calgary. Wolf is coming for his job and has really stolen the net from him. What Vladar really needs is a team coming to call on his services that is willing to give him a shot to earn a starting role. He is a serviceable goalie who can play as a strong tandem partner on a contender but just needs someone to give him that look. A phone call from a team like the Carolina Hurricanes would be a great gift for him.
Christmas wishes from The Win Column
From our family to yours, a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays! All the best.
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